The Spirit of Sonship
“For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him, we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’
Romans 8:15
My middle child lives with his wife and dog in Chicago. He works for a public relations firm during the week and plays with a “wedding band” on the weekends. Highly gifted yet firmly grounded, Jim is doing quite well.
He also just celebrated his 38th birthday. Wow! Where did the time go?
It seems like only yesterday that he was a little boy.
When I gave him a call to wish him Happy Birthday, Jim responded as he has for many years, “Thanks, Papa!”
He uniquely calls Gwen and me, “Mama” and “Papa.” Words that might seem a bit corny to some but are endearing to us. They reflect a special relationship and unique access.
Out of that, he will often ask us for counsel, direction, and assistance. He does so shamelessly. Why? Because he’s confident of his identity – who he is to us.
So allow me to ask you a simple, yet profound question: Who are you to God?
Set aside your doctrine for a moment. What is your heart’s settled assurance on the matter? What is your relationship to the Almighty? How do you perceive it?
Once you have that in mind, compare it to what the Apostle Paul says. I’ve underlined a few key words.
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
Galatians 4:4-7
Yes, yes – we’ve all heard that we are God’s children; we are His sons and daughters. Yet the curse of familiarity with the words has dulled us to the staggering truth they contain.
The reality has not penetrated our hearts, at least not deeply enough. We still view ourselves as orphans if not slaves.
Identity Revealed in Prayer
When I listen to people pray (and nothing reveals your true beliefs like how you pray), more often than not it sounds like the pitiful entreaty of a helpless soul crying out for mercy: “God, please…pleeease help me!”
Nothing reveals your true beliefs like how you pray.
An orphan reflects desperation. Their prayers feel more like begging with little hope of them being granted.
A slave feels even more marginalized. They feel like they have no right to even ask – at least until it’s something that is terribly important.
Neither one views their identity as a beloved son or daughter that is cherished by a Father who is predisposed to their good and eager to respond to their requests.
Friends, here’s what you need to know deep down in your soul. If you have come to the Father through faith in Christ, you are not an orphan. Nor are you merely a “servant” of God. You are a beloved son or daughter.
A Revolutionary Concept
This was a revolutionary concept in the 1st century. Those worshiping the Roman pantheon of deities never saw themselves that way. Humans were mere pawns to be used by the gods.
While the Jewish concept went far beyond that to introduce a singular deity who cared for His creation, there was still a sense of remoteness. Indeed, the word Paul uses here, Abba, was never used by believers in the Old Testament.
God was viewed as one who was powerful and majestic and unapproachable in His holiness.
Yet in using the term “Abba,” the Apostle borrows the term for “Papa” or “Daddy.” It speaks of intimacy and acceptance…of generosity and compassion.
And it underscores the fact that our prayers…all of them… don’t fall on deaf or uncaring ears. Rather, they are heard by One who delights in His children.
What do your prayers say about the way you view your relationship with God? Are they the pathetic pleas of an orphan? Are they the hesitant supplications of a slave?
Or are they the shameless requests of a beloved child who is confident in his/her identity? It’s these that, far from offending the Lord, are pleasing to Him. And it’s these that He delights to answer.
What do your prayers say about the way you view your relationship with God? Are they the pathetic pleas of an orphan? The hesitant supplications of a slave? Or the shameless requests of a beloved child?
PRAYER
Father…Papa…I have to admit that at times I revert back to seeing myself as an orphan, if not a slave. And my prayers reflect that. May the Spirit of sonship become ever more deeply rooted in my soul so that I have increased freedom and boldness in my requests.
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